Katherine Maher admits error in NPR’s handling of Hunter Biden laptop report

National Public Radio (NPR)- an American public broadcasting organization's CEO Katherine Maher acknowledged on Wednesday that the organisation mishandled its coverage of the Hunter Biden laptop story during the 2020 presidential election, admitting it failed to treat the report with the seriousness it deserved.

Speaking before the House subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE), Maher told lawmakers that NPR had been mistaken in not covering the issue more aggressively when the New York Post first published the story.

“I do want to say that NPR acknowledges we were mistaken in failing to cover the Hunter Biden laptop story more aggressively and sooner,” Maher told Rep. Michael Cloud, a Republican from Texas.

In a separate exchange with Rep. Brian Jack of Georgia, Maher added, “We made a mistake.”

Maher became CEO of NPR in 2024 and was not with the publicly funded broadcaster at the time of the laptop controversy. However, her testimony reflects a rare admission of editorial misjudgment from a major US media outlet.

The laptop, which allegedly belonged to President Joe Biden’s son, included emails and other material raising questions about overseas business dealings. At the time, NPR and other mainstream outlets downplayed the story, citing concerns over its origins and ties to potential foreign disinformation campaigns.

An NPR public editor had previously said the outlet avoided the story because of "many, many red flags" and its perceived lack of significance. NPR’s then-managing editor Terence Samuel said it was considered a "politically driven event."

Former NPR editor Uri Berliner, in an essay published last year, criticised the decision, stating that journalistic instinct had been "squelched" due to political concerns. He recalled colleagues expressing relief the story was not covered because it might have benefited Donald Trump’s campaign.

Maher also addressed NPR’s earlier scepticism regarding the theory that COVID-19 originated from a laboratory leak in Wuhan, China. She acknowledged the CIA's later assessment supporting the lab-leak theory and conceded that NPR had dismissed the idea prematurely.

Despite these admissions, Maher maintained that NPR is a nonpartisan news organisation and expressed a commitment to restoring public confidence in its editorial independence.